This week, Paul goes behind the curtain to remember the legendary and iconic nightclub Mister Kelly’s of Chicago. The club launched superstars including Barbra Streisand, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow and Steve Martin. It featured legends of jazz and comedy like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Oscar Peterson, Ramsey Lewis, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce and countless others. Hear the rich history of this club and it’s sister club London House, with the son and nephew of founders George and Oscar Marienthal, David Marienthal (Creator and Executive Producer of the film), Theodore Bogosian (Director and Producer) and Mister Kelly’s house drummer Tom Radtke. They share memories of what made the club tick, how Barbra Streisand created the cover of her iconic People album after one of her performances with a walk to Oak Street Beach, and the accepting and progressive nature of Chicago audiences back in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
The film will be screened this weekend from Friday, Sept 17th thru Monday, Sept. 20th. Then, Video on Demand and Digital access arrives on October 12th and the DVD release is set for October 19th. Information on all of this and tickets for the screenings can be found at www.MisterKellysChicago.com. Listen in and remember a piece of essential Chicago history.